29 Farvardin 1405
Quatrain 25 of 75
“Why, all the Saints and Sages who discuss'd
Of the Two Worlds so learnedly, are thrust
Like foolish Prophets forth; their Words to Scorn
Are scatter'd, and their Mouths are stopt with Dust.”
Reflection · Spring 1405
In spring the saints and sages seem far away — their arguments about the Two Worlds conducted in libraries and monasteries while the actual world outside is erupting in its annual proof of itself. Their mouths are stopped with dust and the spring continues. This is not triumphalism — Khayyam knows the spring's mouth will also be stopped eventually. It is an observation about which things are durable. The vine, the garden, the ancient ruby continue. The dust silences the learned and leaves the rose alone.
Hold this verse in spring as a freedom. You are not required to resolve the Two Worlds before you can enjoy this one. The spring morning requires nothing from you except your presence in it.